The Workshop on ns-3 (WNS3) will be held as a fully virtual event, starting on June 23, 2021 and tentatively planned for two days. The objective of the workshop is to gather ns-3 users and developers, together with networking simulation practitioners and users, and developers of other network simulation tools, to discuss the ns-3 simulator and related activities.

As in recent years, accepted conference papers will be published in the ACM ICPS series.

WNS3 invites authors to submit original high quality papers presenting different aspects of developing and using ns-3. In such papers, reproducibility and methodology will be a key reviewing criteria, as explained below. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • new models, devices, protocols and applications for ns-3
  • using ns-3 in modern networking research
  • comparison with other network simulators and emulators
  • speed and scalability issues for ns-3
  • multiprocessor and distributed simulation with ns-3, including use of GPUs
  • validation of ns-3 models
  • credibility and reproducibility issues for ns-3 simulations
  • user experience issues of ns-3
  • frameworks for the definition and automation of ns-3 simulations
  • post-processing, visualisation and statistical analysis tools for ns-3
  • models ported from other simulators to ns-3
  • using real code for simulation with ns-3 and using ns-3 code in network applications
  • integration of ns-3 with testbeds, emulators, and other simulators or tools
  • using ns-3 API from programming languages other than C++ or Python
  • porting ns-3 to unsupported platforms
  • network emulation with ns-3
  • using ns-3 in education and teaching

We also solicit novel papers with a focus on an industrial application of ns-3 (use of ns-3 within industry). Papers in this category must address these questions:

  • What specific R&D questions did you or do you want to answer by simulation?
  • Why and how did you choose ns-3 as the appropriate tool for your application?
  • What surprises did you find, in correctness/behavior? in implementation? in learning curve?
  • What are the remaining barriers to addressing fully your R&D questions?
  • What general capabilities would have made your work easier/faster?

Papers must be written in English and must not exceed 8 pages. Every paper will be peer-reviewed. At least one author of each accepted paper must register and present the work at the workshop.

Submission instructions

Authors should submit papers through EasyChair in PDF format, complying with ACM “sigconf” Proceedings format. Submitted papers must not have been submitted for review or published (partially or completely) elsewhere.

Acceptance Criteria

Papers will be accepted based on the relevance, novelty, and impact of the contribution, as well as the quality of writing and presentation.

Authors presenting new ns-3 models, frameworks, integration setups, etc. are encouraged to include all traditional parts of a scientific paper: introduction, motivation, related work, assumptions, verification and validation, conclusions and references. As a general rule, papers that only document source code will be rejected.

Authors presenting networking research using ns-3 are encouraged to follow best simulation practices and focus particularly on the credibility and reproducibility of simulation results. We strongly encourage authors of all papers, demonstrations, and posters to include links to relevant source code and instructions on how to use it. This will make contributions more useful for the ns-3 community. If code has been submitted through the ns-3 merge request process, or published as a module in the ns-3 app store, please list the link(s). This will be considered a plus

Please do not hesitate to contact the workshop chairs if you are uncertain whether your submission falls within the scope of the workshop.

Copyright Policy

Authors will have their paper published in the ACM Digital Library, which will require copyright transfer to ACM under their normal terms and conditions. In the spirit of open source, we encourage authors of published papers to exercise their right to publish author-prepared versions on their respective home page, on a publicly accessible server of their employer, or on a pre-print server. Upon request, we will provide links from the WNS3 program on the ns-3 web site to the author-prepared version.

Plagiarism Policy

We follow the ACM standards and conduct regarding plagiarism.

Reviewing Process Conflict of Interest Policy

Reviewers will follow the IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking Conflict-of-Interest Guidelines. Authors are requested to identify potential conflicts-of-interest among the workshop’s technical program committee.

Demonstrations and Short Talks

In addition to the regular paper track, we will organize an exhibition-style demonstration and short talks session. The aim is to foster interactive discussions on work-in-progress, new problem statements, ideas for future development related to ns-3, and display innovative prototypes.

A Call for Short Talks and Demos page will be posted at a later date. Accepted short talk and demo abstracts will be published on the ns-3 web site. At least one author of each accepted demo/short talk must register and present the work at the workshop.

Awards

One Best Paper will be selected by the TPC chairs and will be announced at the workshop.

Registration

Registration information will be posted at a later date.

More information on these will be announced at a future date.

Technical Program Co-Chairs

  • Stefano Avallone
  • Michele Polese

General Chair

Tom Henderson

Important Dates

Paper submission deadline: Sunday, February 21, 2021, 17:00 PST extended to Monday March 8, 17:00 PST.

Notification of acceptance: Monday, March 29, 2021 extended to Friday April 9, 2021.